Incheon Gangwha Nadeulgil Trail in Korea- Wanggol Gongye Village - Hike

1.     Date and Time : May 7, 2018 08:30~13:30 (7 hours including break one hours).

2.     Location : Gangwha at Incheon City in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 11.95km. Course is to start Parking Lot at Gangwha History Museum =>Five Story Pagoda=> Seokga Yeoraesang (Stone Buddha) => Dolman Site=> Parking Lot at Gangwha History Museum.

4.     Access :

There is various ways to connect Subway Line No.2 which you are supposed to change to Express Bus No. 3000 at Shincheon Station Bus Stop ID:13-022 referring to map of “Change Subway Line 2 at Shincheon Station to Bus Stop 13-022 Shincheon Ogueri”. please stay with the Bus for passing 34 times bus stop and get off at last bus stop after about 2 hours at  Gangwha Bus Terminal and change to local bus No 23 or 25 or 27 or 30 and get off at Gangwha History Museum at 16 times bus stop pass and after about 30 minutes. You could take bus route through reverse on your way back. I could estimate total transportation is about 2.5 hours for one way which comes total 5 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 3 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation.

4.     Overall Remarks.

Wanggol means rush which we can make handicraft like rush mat, rush flower basket, jewelry basket and so on. Gangwha Island has been well known as high quality rush as well as skilled man power before and still maintain such traditional and competitive rush handicraft. There are some exhibition of these rush handicraft products for visitors. But I skipped the visit because I know well and no interest in. I rather focus review and study about story of Seokjeo Yeoraesang, stone Buddha which was inclusive of some behind story. One day a housewife visited the Village Spring for washing cloth and saw there was male baby lying in the gift box and picked up the baby and reports him to the King and asked the King how to do. The King answered to her “You take care very and bring him up very well with given name as Bongwoo”. The Bongwoo was grown up well and worked for government and honored from government for contribution. Bong Cheonwoo, One of next generation established Bongeunsa Temple, five story pagoda and Seokjeo Yeoraesang for his dying wife. Seokjeo Yeoraesang, stone Buddha on big rock is not ordinary Buddha which is somewhat resembled to his grandmother. That is why features are very hard to interpret how and what Buddha takes like light laugh or smile or dignity expression or looked down people and etc. I am personally attracted to these kinds of Buddha expression, difficult to understand how and what Buddha likes to transfer her message to people.           .         

5.     Detailed Course Information

There are some people around me when I parked the car at History Museum, despite 8 o’clock in the morning and earlier than normal. I checked starting point for Gangwha Nadeulgil Course 18 “Wanggol Handicraft Road” and found the landmark for starting which is moving alongside irrigation canal as you see at the photo. I soon met landmark saying as 13 km to finish line of this course, return to starting point landmark. There was 3^rd landmark sitting in front of tunnel showing 12.5km to the finish line. I continued to walk to Jangjeong village where Jangjeong Church are there and passing besides the Church after 5 minutes from the tunnel. When I walked about 5 minutes more, I met three way junction in front of Hajeom Catholic Church and turned right and keep walking to Cheonbongsan Mountain where Bong Cheonwoo story is related. When I walked up the small village, there are few small houses was so beautiful with spectacular and colorful flowers as you see at the photo. It made me I would seriously consider living under such beautiful nature as a last comfortable life closing until dying. I faced to turn right at the junction after about 10 minutes walking from Jangjeong Church where I would move to five story pagoda. I reached five story pagoda after 5 minutes walking after the junction which was built by private person, Bong Cheonwoo. It looks like not well maintained so far which was damaged some corner and body. I found there was landmark standing at parking area and asked me to cross small and narrow stream at foot of Bongcheonsan Mountain and slightly climbed over bottom hill and met another landmark requesting me to turn right and straight go. I just follow narrow mountain path according to yellow and green ribbon and soon met next landmark ask to turn left and a minute walking and next landmark to turn right to walking downhill for about 25 minutes following the ribbon and landmark and reached Seokga Yeoraesang Buddha and carefully take a look   and left strange and mysterious image of Buddha at photo. When I walked down to Jangjeong Road via middle of small village, I saw another beautiful picture of village road as you see at the phot and reached junction to Jangjeong Road where I turned left. As I keep going along with this road for about 20 minutes, I faced three way junction saying 8.4km to finish line where I should turn left. I followed the road about 15 minutes walking and reached three way junction again and turn right to walk down to Oyang Village passing Oyang reservoir at right. When passed Oyang Reservoir, there are many fishing people sitting here and there under find and good weather and colorful harmony between blue water and yellow green mountain behand as see at the photo. I walked about 25 minutes and met Jangjeong Octagonal Village Pavilion and turned left and kept walking over hill and continue to walk on irrigation bank. When I walked for about half an hour from the Pavilion Junction, I found typical vinyl house planning under cold late winter weather for quick delivery farming products to the market, earlier planting. They are normally planting tomato, cucumber, lettuce and so on even under clod weather. When weather is back to normal spring and summer, they are usually remove the vinyl and continue to grow the products at the same place or change to plant other category. There was landmark nearby the Vinyl House saying 4.5km to finish line. When I walked along side filed bank, I saw rice seeded bed which they seed rice to small and protected rice pad area under vinyl cover, cold weather protection and formally and independently plant individual baby rice plant to normal rice pad later. When I walked for about 25 minutes from the Vinyl House, I met landmark asking to slowly climb up the hill via landmark as 3.4km to finish line. I kept continuing to walk at ridge of the hill for about 1 hour and 20 minutes and reached Dolman site where finish line was close by. As I walked about 10 minutes, I was standing beside rice pad which I should cross on rice pad path and landmark showing 800m to finish line. I found it was today right after holyday substituting holyday, “Children’s Day” on Sunday or Saturday and understood the reason why many people were there at early morning. Anyhow I hardly passed through some programmed area for children maze road or over crowded road about 20 minutes more and finally reached finish line today. There were violet canola blossom at designated field which made me fell pleased or clam down.